1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to rake attachments for working soil, particularly to rake attachments for working light and medium grade soil surfaces, and more particularly to rake attachments for clearing and finishing upper ground and/or topsoil in preparation for construction or farming operations.
2. Description of Related Art
Light and medium landscape grading, particularly in the preparation of farming and community development landscaping, requires the removal of light rocks, rubble and debris from an area. Rakes are used in the preparation of these areas. One of the most common types of rakes known for use with light and medium grading is the landscape rake.
Landscape rakes provide a straight or linear cross-frame that is generally fixed on one or more wheel supports having adjustable wheel heights. The landscape rake is attached to a tractor that pulls the landscape rake over the ground. Tines along the length of the cross-frame rake light rocks and debris from the surface of the ground, generally in preparation for construction or fanning operations. During this operation, however, the light rocks or debris are pulled from the surface and are discarded along the edges of either side of the landscape rake in windows. These windows of debris and light rock must be collected manually to clear the field. This manual collection requires additional time, and is extremely inefficient in the preparation of an area for farming, construction or general landscaping.
In addition to the landscape rake, several other types of raking devices are known. These include a road and field scraper having one or more semicircularly or elliptically curved pieces of metal disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 304,737 (Kirby), a road scraper and grader disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,019,153 (Hughes) having front and rear blades with a center blade detachably connected thereto by straps and bolts, and the device of U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,587 (Gandrud et al.) with abrush attachment having end-to-end, oppositely angled brushes on the bottom of a frame with semirigid plates. None of these patents disclose any type of tines or teeth for engaging light rocks or debris in clearing the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 37,234 (Kelsey) discloses a V-shaped harrow and a scraper. U.S. Pat. No. 1,347,485 (Allyn) discloses a road drag having steel blades with a V-shaped frame and an auxiliary drag having a plurality of teeth that breaks up lumps of materials. U.S. Pat. No. 1,666,836 (Santee) discloses a stone gatherer having forward rake teeth of a casing where rocks travel through the casing to a discharge opening, and into a chute. U.S. Pat. No. 2,618,111 (Egstad) discloses a wheel driven stone gathering machine having stone-engaging collecting arms with forwardly opening scoops to engage stones. All of these devices arrange the rocks in a windrow-like manner.
Another device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,511,292 (McLeod) shows curved teeth that permit undersize rock or the like to freely pass between adjacent teeth while the forward faces of the teeth serve to push or draw the oversize rock toward one end of the rake. However, McLeod does not disclose any angled side members.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,802 (Carlson et al.) discloses a sand trap rake for golf courses having a rake which is made up of a plurality of sections, each section comprising a V-shaped draft member having a forwardly directed apex which has a universal connection to the tractor-mounted draft bar and the rake having V-shaped teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,270 (Phillips) discloses a tool assembly having a prickle chain that rotates when dragged, for tilling, secondary cultivation, ground leveling, trash removal and/or other ground working operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,470,964 (West et al.) discloses earth working implements having a lift-latch assembly that is pivotally mounted on a transverse frame member. While U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,247 (Johnsen) discloses a landscaping device to remove debris such as rocks, large clumps of hardened soil, undesired plant material, and the like with the Taking portion of Johnsen preforming heavy grading of an area. Both West et al. and Johnsen provide a heavy grade leveling of the ground that rips the soil area.
As discussed, these various devices are deficient for grading light and/or medium grade landscaping tasks. For example, the devices either address a "fine grading" such as Carlson et al. in the leveling of sand traps, or heavy grading found in Johnsen or West et al. that removes the layer of topsoil from the ground for contouring the soil into swales or berms. Devices that address light and medium grading operations generally discharge the rocks or debris in windrows.
In view of the foregoing, improvements are needed in the soil preparation of light and/or medium grade soil. There is a need for landscaping rake attachments that overcome the deficiencies of the previously discussed devices and that allow the clearing of light rock and/or debris with light and/or medium grade landscaping in an efficient manner. The present invention addresses the need to clear an area of landscape without the need for additional work in clearing windrows.